The GOP must do something about the conservative media industrial complex if it wants to survive

[kevindavis007]

Agreed.



During W's Presidency we had a few things happen:


1) Iraq War
2) Push for illegal amnesty
3) economic collapse


Since his Presidency the "right" went from being a side aligned with reason and sanity to one that was aligned with populism, which I think was a reaction to those 3 things. To me this served some good purposes, and the TeaParty gave the GOP the 2010 majority. But I think the recent flavor of the right is electoral poison. I remember making fun of Democrats for all the thing the right is now famous for.


Limbaugh started going "anti-establishment" because W left the office with a bad popularity forced him to, IMO.


With the trumpist screaming about neocons, and basically sounding identical to 2005 era leftists, I think that I'm right in my analysis.

Agreed..

[dfwgator]

But even moreso, over that time there has been growing disillusionment with globalism. 

[skeeter]

Also, i nearly choked to death on my diet Coke earlier today when Limbaugh had the audacity to say that he hasn't endorsed anyone in this race.

You and I were choking at precisely the same time. Rush is pretty greasy when it comes to hedging his bets like this.

[skeeter]

Liberals tend to be collectivists, whereas Conservatives tend to be individualists,  right there I think that explains a huge difference in the ways we behave with regards to politics.

You nailed it. Conservatives do not do groupthink very well. Groupthink comes in very handy when organizing mass movements.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I remember when saying anything remotely unfavorable about Bush and the Iraq War on FR was an insta-zot from JR or his cronies.


Now 10 years later, it's almost like the opposite is true. Surreal.

[goatprairie]

I usually listen to Rush while on lunch, and within the past week or so I finally got why he likes Trump so much.  It's because Trump annoys the media.  Limbaugh is still moaning and griping about not being able to buy a stake in that NFL team because of the media and that was several years ago.  As often as he talks about all these media parties that he would never lower himself to go to, well, yeah, because they don't want you there.  I seriously think his happiness with Trump is that he wants to see the media taken down a notch or two, and to hell with conservatism.
Also, i nearly choked to death on my diet Coke earlier today when Limbaugh had the audacity to say that he hasn't endorsed anyone in this race.

I have been a faithful Rush listener for more than twenty years....even when I was still voting Democrat (Clinton changed all that.) I remember his constantly repeating during election cycles that we have to  promote the most conservative, electable candidate.
So here comes the summer of 2015, and all the candidates are getting their ducks in a row. We had a lot of excellent choices. Here comes Donald Trump with, by far, the weakest conservative resume of any Pubbie candidate.
So what does Rush say about Trump and his support of Dems and his overall image? Just about nothing. Week after week I was expecting Rush to say some damaging words about Trump's candidacy. Nothing negative about Trump emerged from Rush's mouth.
Then one day he started talking about Trump and what a great guy he was to play golf with. That opened my eyes. Trump was his golfing buddy and maybe friends otherwise.
HE WAS TACITLY PROMOTING TRUMP BECAUSE TRUMP WAS A FRIEND!!!!!!
Sure, he could claim he never promoted anybody. But he never said anything negative about the candidate least likely to be thought of as a conservative or as a good candidate.
Then in the spring of this year as the primaries came to end, he started promoting Trump full bore. Nothing negative about Trump ever came out of Rush's piehole.
This year is not only the fall of Trump, it is also the fall of Rush Limbaugh as the great conservative hero.  He betrayed conservatism to promote a friend...a golf buddy.
With his vast influence Rush might have been able to turn the tide and possibly derail Trump's campaign. It never happened. Now we and the country are screwed because the big names in conservative talk radio like Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, and others hitched their star to the horse's rear end called Donald Trump.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Yeah, about the only good thing about this election will be listening to Limbaugh on the day after election.


That shall be my last listen for a while. I want to hear him squeal like a pig.

[Suppressed]

I remember when saying anything remotely unfavorable about Bush and the Iraq War on FR was an insta-zot from JR or his cronies.


Now 10 years later, it's almost like the opposite is true. Surreal.

I remember when the immigration issue was reversed there, too.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I remember when the immigration issue was reversed there, too.

Yep! Absolutely the truth.


I seem to recall Limbaugh being pro-illegal immigration too or maybe my mind is failing.

[skeeter]

Yep! Absolutely the truth.


I seem to recall Limbaugh being pro-illegal immigration too or maybe my mind is failing.

Your mind's not failing. I believe pro border enforcement types were among those he used to call "kooks".

[HonestJohn]

We learned that 'conservative news' is an echo chamber.  All we heard was how Romney was going to win.

We found out, after our loss, that we were being told what we wanted to hear.

This year, some conservatives paid attention and aren't drinking the Kool-Aid.

Unfortunately, about 75% are.  And the 'conservative media' is happy to keep serving it up for the eager consumer.

[HonestJohn]

You nailed it. Conservatives do not do groupthink very well. Groupthink comes in very handy when organizing mass movements.

Did you forget how every conservative 'knew' we'd win the 2012 election?

Did you forget the Karl Rove's breakdown on Fox News?

Conservatives are just as gullible as liberals.  It's basic human nature.

[Night Hides Not]

I remember when saying anything remotely unfavorable about Bush and the Iraq War on FR was an insta-zot from JR or his cronies.


Now 10 years later, it's almost like the opposite is true. Surreal.

Looking back on it, I wish I had latched on to what retired LTG Jay Garner was saying during his first, and only, month as the Director for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq. He was recalled by Bush (and Cheney) for having the temerity to consider plans for Iraqis to hold elections within 90 days and for the U.S. to quickly pull troops out of the cities to a desert base.

General Garner's attitude was "it's their country, we need to turn Iraq back over to the Iraqis as soon as possible."

I can see how he would be supportive of Trump, after the manner in which Dubya would recall him.

Personally, and here's my bias, I knew Gen. Garner when he was a "mere" Lt Colonel, an ADA battalion commander in Germany. I was in a different battalion in 108th ADA Group, but he was acknowledged as one who would pin stars on. I observed his leadership style during their annual service practice at the German range I was TDY at during the summer of 79. It was my job to shadow him, and other battalion commanders during their week at Todendorf, to make sure they had everything they needed. I saw how his officers and soldiers responded to him, it was obvious they admired and respected him.

For his part, he invited me, a mere 1st LT, to sit at his table. Most of the time, I was in command, as my boss was usually back at home station 400+ miles away, dealing with personal issues. I'd been a platoon leader several times over, but this was different: our support was in Bremerhaven (200 miles away), and our detachment was pieced together with 40 soldiers from 20 different units.

I heard later that more than a few of my command decisions didn't go over too well with the brass...lol. Looking back on it, I'm convinced that Gen. Garner's after action report, as well as the other 7-8 battalions reporting, kept the brass off my back.

Apologies for going off track.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Did you forget how every conservative 'knew' we'd win the 2012 election?

Did you forget the Karl Rove's breakdown on Fox News?

Conservatives are just as gullible as liberals.  It's basic human nature.

Trump *IS* groupthink. He's the end result of 30 years of conservative groupthink.

[ExFreeper]

I remember growing up listening to WF Buckley and Milton Friedman on various TV/radio shows.  We were raised to believe in God, respect women, serve our country, and work hard for a living to get ahead for our family and children.  We used to have real conservative thinkers actually explaining the differences between the left and the right.  We were given choices, encouraged to explore other ideas, help the poor to get ahead, and taught to make ourselves better for society as a whole.

Today, there are very few conservatives actually speaking to mass media.  We don't have any conservative greats today such as Russell Kirk, Eric Hoffer, Barry Goldwater, Irving Kristol, Norman Podhoretz, or Ludwig von Mises of the past! We don't have any spokesmen/woman coming forward with coherent conservative ideas.  The so called talk show conservatives today such as Rush, Hannity, and Ingraham have embarrassed themselves with their support of the NY liberal and will forever be remembered for their betrayal. 

Our youth today are being fed socialist ideologies in the schools, books, and TV shows.  They idolize a Marxist mass murder by wearing their Che Guevara tee shirts without any knowledge of his past.  Millennials don't have a clue on the difference in Keynesian vs Classical economics.   It is far easier to preach that it is ok to take from the rich and give to the poor.  The America of the future will be similar to a failed European social democrat state. 

[geronl]

You and I were choking at precisely the same time. Rush is pretty greasy when it comes to hedging his bets like this.

His hedging is laughable this time around, he is full-on for Trump.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

His hedging is laughable this time around, he is full-on for Trump.

Well El Rushbo is documented right 99.9% of the time, mayor of realville etc. etc. etc.


So to see Donny crash and burn must be worrying to the pill popper.